


talk 'til the sun sets

by chellian



Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Developing Friendships, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-02-22 21:02:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23700355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chellian/pseuds/chellian
Summary: Chaddick and Agatha have a talk.-or: the friendship i expected from QfG but it didn't happen
Relationships: Agatha/Tedros (The School for Good and Evil), Chaddick & Agatha (The School For Good and Evil), Chaddick/Nicholas (The School for Good and Evil)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	talk 'til the sun sets

Agatha walks through and around the castle- she wanders around the palace’s every room (mostly to search for the kitchen to get some of Chef Silkima’s sweets; but her hands are currently full with sweets at the moment). Usually she would be in her and Tedros’ room, kissing and embracing and cuddling one another until they both taste oblivion- but being a King certainly has its priorities.

(She had joked to him one time that being a king is more important than his Queen; he had looked at her, mouth agape, before tackling her and giving her dozens of tiny kisses that fluttered in every part of her skin.)

So, she walks around the castle, mouth full of sweets and handling a bowl of spaghetti with cheese (one of her favorites from Chef Silkima- wondering how Sophie is in the School for Evil (she is  _ dreadfully _ fine, her letter supplies), when she hears the sound of a sword and a man grunting in the gardens.

Knowing full well it wasn’t Tedros - of course, he was in a meeting with other Kings and Queens - she decided to check up on the knight who decided fighting rose bushes in the gardens was a good idea. Unwrapping a lollipop from its wrappers and putting it on her mouth, she tastes its sweet and enthralling flavour as she checks Chaddick in the gardens.

She and Chaddick aren’t technically  _ friends _ \- not on the same level as she is with the Coven, but on the same level as Beatrix and Reena (Kikois placed  _ higher _ than those two girls). They were…  _ civil _ with each other, but not friends.

(It is understandable it’d take her time to grow closer to some -  _ most _ \- of her Good peers; they had mistreated her in her first year just from basing on her looks… then again, she was quite hostile at most of her classmates as well.)

He was, surprisingly, not hacking at the rose bushes or the branches of trees peacefully standing around the garden, but he was practicing with his sword; parrying and thrusting and dodging an imaginary opponent, his face trickling with sweat like a downpour had hit him square in the chest. He was panting hard, as he faced his opponent again, trying to hold the sword correctly and properly, correcting the placing of his feet.

Agatha thinks that his footing is loose, his grasp on the sword is slippery and most of his poses making him slightly vulnerable against the enemy, but she didn’t dare complain (Tedros had once commented on Chaddick’s skills when they sparred in this very garden, and he had criticised some of his swordsmanship to the point Chaddick’s ears had turned pink).

After a few more minutes of his one-sided sparring, he drops his sword on the ground, clearly exhausted, while Agatha continues to feast on her spaghetti with cheese. Like the breeze had whispered to him that Agatha is watching, he swivels to turn around and see her seated on a bench, looking so oblivious to the point he thought she had only come here to eat.

He gives her a small - but clearly exhausted - smile, “Your Majesty, it’s a surprise seeing you here.”

She looks up from her food to stare at him, “You’ve known me for four years- just call me Agatha. Also because it’s weird for someone as old as me to call me that.”

He shrugs, as he picks his sword up, clearly drenched in sweat as his chest puffs with stress, his grey eyes eyeing the bench in which Agatha is seated upon, wanting to join her, but calmly disregards that thought- like she was some musty Queen in need of space.

She sighs, then makes some space for the taller boy to sit on, “You can sit with me- I’m not some glorious Queen that needs to be protected.”

He smiles back at her, and obediently takes a seat (he was much taller than she and Tedros combined).

Silence lapses in the gardens, with the exception of Chaddick’s exhausted breaths and Agatha’s initial mutterings about how Chef Silima’s cooking is so  _ delicious _ . Before it got too awkward between them, however, Chaddick was the first to speak.

“I know this is like, four years late but- I’m sorry, Agatha.”

She looks back at Tedros’ knight, whose eyes were firmly on the ground, grey eyes twinkling with a rare mix of regret and sadness (the only time she had seen him like this was during the dead students’ burial). She, however, blinks. “I have  _ no _ idea what you’re talking about.”

He turns to face her, a burning intensity hidden deep beneath his eyes. “You know what I’m talking about; the times where me and my friends - plus Tedros - decided to bully you about your looks.” He slaps a palm over his forehead, then whispering, “‘ _ No offense _ ’?! That’s the most offensive line I’ve ever said.”

Agatha blinks back at him, not really sure what to think, before saying “Oh” smartly (was that the best response she could ever say?). Meanwhile, Chaddick barrels on-

“To be honest, yeah, me and my mates were really confused when you first showed up ‘cause… nevermind. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this for years but- Good souls and hearts are monitored over, not the looks, or the charm or anything outside, really. So now I want to punch the crap out of my past self now, a bloke who thinks himself  _ so _ superior to others, and hit him repeatedly with every arrow I have on me.”

She smiles a little at his speech- even  _ he _ had come a long way from that shallow Everboy who had made that ragdoll of her in first year (she had felt hurt looking at the doll being destroyed and made fun of, but she had brushed it off).

She elbows the knight seated beside her, a light smirk playing upon his lips, “Well, apology accepted; now would you please tell me why you were practicing all by yourself?”

His face goes a little red at that, but he answers. “I was training, of course- Tedros needs a knight that can do well with the sword. I may be good at archery but I’m somewhat hella clumsy with the sword.”

She peers at him skeptically. “I can see you struggling.”

He chuckles a little, “‘Struggle’ is a big understatement, Agatha. I only show my weakness in swordsmanship now because…  _ Nicholas  _ isn’t there to teach me anymore.” His rather casual and sunny tone plunges deep into ice cold water once he says that, his grey eyes showing misery and longing for the boy who had died in the war against the School Master.

Agatha frowns, as she puts a comforting hand on Chaddick’s shoulder- she is not much of an expert comforter, but she will try, for Chaddick’s sake. “I’m sorry. I heard that you were close.”

“We kissed.”

She blinks dumbly, not expecting that statement to come out of his mouth (damn, she thought they were close but not  _ that _ close). “Excuse me?”

“When you and Tedros were still in Gavaldon doing your couple stuff, me and Nic decided to cope with the fact we’re under New Evil now by… spending time with each other. Hort was a rather nosy fella, but we locked our shared room with him every time we decided that maybe we need some time alone. With  _ each other _ . I mostly hid my tears and sorrow when I saw Nicholas’ corpse- I’ll never get to see him alive again.”

The dark-haired girl moves closer to the grieving knight, letting her hands rub his back as he starts to weep- she had never seen him cry and tear this knightly facade apart (she most certainly heard him crying, but never went to check on him because Tedros is always there for him). It was certainly strange, that’s for sure, but she didn’t ridicule nor did she comment about it, and soon enough, Chaddick is crying on her shoulder, while she tries with all her heart to comfort him.

**Author's Note:**

> rather half-assed ending, i know, but kudos and comments are appreciated :)


End file.
